Jackie Hamilton saw just what he was looking for in Carroll's 26-14 jamboree loss to Wossman.

Sure, Hamilton would have liked for the score to be different, but the mistakes the C-Dogs made in the jamb were correctable. What excited the coach was he finally got the answer to the question that can only be answered against live competition.

Would the C-Dogs stand up and fight?

They did. Despite being down by at least two touchdowns for most of the night, Carroll gave itself chances to hang around by recovering two onside kicks and then punctuating its solid special teams play by returning a kickoff for a score with under a minute to play.

With that settled, Hamilton and the Bulldogs got back to practice this week focusing on correcting their jamboree mistakes heading into the opener in Lake Providence against General Trass.

"A lot of times on the defensive side of the ball, we were out of positions in terms of alignment, so we've spent time some time on recognizing formations," Hamilton said. "We've worked hard on fumbling this week (Carroll lost four against Wossman) and cleaned that up so we should be OK."

Hamilton also found something else from the sideline that he'll explore this week.

After completing a long pass that set up Carroll's first touchdown against Wossman, Hamilton is giving sophomore Jerry Brown — Jesse Burnette's starting point guard on the basketball team — his first career start under center.

"Jerry didn't play with us last year, but he's a good athlete," Hamilton said. "I want to give him a chance to help this ball club."

General Trass plays an aggressive three-man front on defense that features man coverage. Hamilton feels good about the matchups on the edge with Carroll receivers Amari Davis and Ervin Sellers, but a young Bulldogs' offensive line will have plenty on its shoulders in pass protection.

General Trass quarterback A.J. Bruce returns for his senior season and possesses the same dual-threat ability, and perhaps even better than last season. This year he'll have receivers Kelton Campbell, Brodrick Clemens and Tekaylin Whaley as weapons downfield.

"We have to make sure we know where (Bruce) is at all times," Hamilton said. "He's got blazing speed, a strong arm and a few guys that can help him out this year. If we don't contain them he'll create some problems for us.

"Anytime you're playing on somebody else's field it's always a challenge, but I think we're up for it and we're looking forward to it."

Carroll (0-0) at General Trass (0-0)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Last season: Carroll (2-9, first round of playoffs), General Trass (3-8, first round of playoffs)

Who/What to watch: Jerry Brown gets his first start at quarterback for Carroll. The sophomore has made a name for himself on the basketball court for the C-Dogs.

Get in the game: Dual-threat quarterback A.J. Bruce and the General Trass offense have the ability to put up points against Carroll's defense.